Forum Discussion

builder1's avatar
builder1
Explorer
Mar 22, 2014

'96 Conquest no power to starter

My '96 Gulfstream Conquest w/460 V8, started last year, but has set over the winter. Now when I try to start it, nothing happens. I have checked the battery,starter, solenoid, and starter relay. All are good. I did find that the "start switch in" wire to the relay has no power on it. When I jump a wire from the battery to the relay, the engine starts and several electrical items , like the windshield wipers, work. Once the wire is removed, the engine dies. Is this the ignition switch or something else. I tried to start in neutral and still nothing. Desperate for help. Thanks

14 Replies

  • Thanks for the tips. I checked the fuse links and both are good. One was 12ga going to the alternator and the other was 18ga, but not sure were it is going. Both checked good. I Checked the connections, both ground and 12v, all good. I also have replaced the solenoid. All works great on the bench and if I use a jumper wire from the battery to the starter switch terminal on the starter relay. Headlights work, but not turn signals, windshield wipers or radio that I noticed. It acts like a fuse is blown, but I can't find a bad one any where. I checked all in the fuse box under the dash and all in the power distribution box under the hood. Where does the starter switch wire come from before it gets to the starter relay?
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    Your fender-liner-mounted solenoid should look like this

    And it's about a $20 part
    If your starter looks like this

    Then it has another solenoid mounted on top of it and it's about a $40 part (AutoZone lookup, probably cheaper elsewhere)
    I looked your chassis up as 1995. That year or later (and probably earlier) replaced the old-style Ford starter without a separate solenoid with a PMGR (Permanent Magnet Gear Reduction) starter. Notice how big the mounting flange is in that starter picture. That's because the 460 has the big mounting spot for the old-style starter

    And that wedge-shaped cover on top is NOT a Solenoid. It's actually a hinged part of the Field Winding and it pulls down magnetically when the starter powers up. The Starter Drive is thrown in by a Fork on the end where the field segment pivots. An older Ford has only the fender-liner-mounted solenoid.
  • Adjacent to the starter relay is a fuse link. Some look like a piece of wire about six inches long. Should be connected to the battery side of the relay.
    There could be two, one operates everything that operates through the ignition switch, the other if for items that are "hot" all the time.
    The ignition switch one could be open.